Odisha FC emerged victorious in the IWL 2023-24 season, winning their maiden title on Sunday, March 24, 2024, with an impressive 6-0 victory over Kickstart FC at Kalinga Stadium.
The champions, who were packed with National Team stars, led 3-0 at halftime and were aided by a hat-trick by former India U17 captain Lynda Kom. Pyari Xaxa scored a brace, while Karthika Angamuthu struck a stunner to complete the rout. Lynda and Pyari combined to score three goals within 22 minutes, securing the championship for Odisha FC. Three more goals in the second half further emphasized their dominance and added to the misery of the Bengaluru-based side.
Odisha FC finished the campaign with 31 points from 12 matches, leaving their nearest rivals, Gokulam Kerala FC, two points behind in the race. Kickstart FC finished a distant third, 10 points behind the ultimate champions. Odisha FC’s near-perfect IWL 2023-24 season ended on a flawless note on the lush green turf of Kalinga Stadium when they outclassed Kickstart FC 6-0 to bag their maiden title on Sunday, March 24, 2024.
Packed with National Team stars, the champions, who led 3-0 at halftime, were aided by a hat-trick by former India U17 captain Lynda Kom. While Pyari Xaxa scored a brace, Karthika Angamuthu struck a stunner to complete the rout. Lynda and Pyari combined to slam in three goals within 22 minutes to make sure the championship didn’t slip out of their hands and three more in the second half only added to the misery of the Bengaluru-based side and emphasized the dominance Odisha FC displayed in the just-finished campaign.
While Odisha FC ended with 31 points from 12 matches to leave their nearest rivals, Gokulam Kerala FC, two points behind in the race, Kickstart FC finished the distant third, 10 points behind the ultimate champions.
Odisha FC was on a mission to win the championship, and they proved it in their last match. They knew that if they won their match against Kickstart, the other match of the day between Gokulam Kerala FC and East Bengal FC would be irrelevant. And they did it with great determination.
Odisha FC was so focused on winning that they scored two goals within 13 minutes, which broke Kickstart’s resistance. After that, the match was quite one-sided, and even the spectators got bored. Odisha FC showed their hunger for the title, and they almost won it before their fans could even settle down in their seats.
In the title-deciding match, the goal-riot began in the 11th minute when Lynda Kom, a former India U17 player, scored the first goal off a pass from Win Theingi Tun. Two minutes later, Lynda provided an excellent pass to Pyari who scored the second goal. Pyari scored another goal in the 22nd minute, leaving their opponents, Kickstart FC, looking helpless.
In the second half, Odisha FC continued to dominate and scored three more goals. Lynda scored a hat-trick, and Karthika Angamuthu’s left-footed stunner from around 22 yards was the best goal of the match.